'''Empiricism''' is a [[philosophical]] approach to [[knowledge]] that emphasizes reliance on [[evidence]] gained through the senses, as opposed to [[intuition]] or purely [[theoretical]] considerations. Something described as '''empirical''' is generally based on direct observation or experience.

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'''Empiricism''' is a [[philosophical]] approach to [[knowledge]] and [[Epistemology]] that emphasizes reliance on [[evidence]] gained through the senses and [[experimentation]], as opposed to [[intuition]] or purely [[theoretical]] considerations. Something described as '''empirical''' is generally based on direct observation or experience, with emphasis on those experiences being [[objective]].

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Typically, empirical research results in gathering quantitative measurements. Several examples of this are:

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* Measuring the position of a star beside the sun during a solar eclipse to verify [[Albert Einstein]]'s [[Theory of relativity]].

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* Measuring the voltage across the terminals of a capacitor over time, at regular intervals.

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* Keeping statistics regarding the effects of a new medicine versus the [[placebo effect]].

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==Implications to Apologetics==

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One of the primary failures of the [[God]] [[hypothesis]], as well as most [[supernatural]] claims, is that they are not empirical, or [[testable]] or even [[falsifiable]]. A large portion of the [[arguments for the existence of God]] are attempting to [[logic God into existence]], devoid of any empirical experimentation.

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A phenomenon that's empirical implies that the phenomenon manifests in some way. If it's not empirical, then we have no real way of knowing anything about it, and cannot confirm that it exists at all. Empiricism is the final confirmation for hypothesis, which most apologetic claims cannot do.

A phenomenon that's empirical implies that the phenomenon manifests in some way. If it's not empirical, then we have no real way of knowing anything about it, and cannot confirm that it exists at all. Empiricism is the final confirmation for hypothesis, which most apologetic claims cannot do.